I have seen every Test the Wallabies have played since 1972, but due to a combination of work, family and living in the bush all were seen on TV. Until last year, when I went to two Tests in Sydney. Regardless of the result – the Wallabies lost both games – I was disappointed with the live rugby offering. It took two hours to get into the ground with the queues. The food was terrible. Entertainment and compering were unsophisticated and crass and any attempts to stir up some excitement with a Cadbury’s shout-o-meter were met with limited response.
In short, the atmosphere was lacking. When watching on the telly, you aren’t as aware of the time the ball is not in play, taking the opportunity to go to the loo or fridge.
When the game finally got started it was boring, with excessive stoppages, unreadable penalties and few episodes of open attacking play. Scrums and lineouts are not platforms for ball-in-hand attack but ways set to force even more penalties.
Rob Valetini. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
The football market in Australia is saturated, characterised for the most part in the NRL, AFL and soccer by space, open play, ball movement and flow. While rugby league is perhaps one-dimensional, there is no game plan to force a penalty by an opposing side.
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If the conversation about rugby is to shift from what is happening off the field to what is happening on the field then we need to change what is happening on the field. I am suggesting some leveraged changes to the rules to create a unique Australian brand of rugby, that removes some of the frustrating aspects for the fan and puts the emphasis on flowing play, attack and reward for skill, not simply phase after phase of pick and drive.
Long-arm penalties
Restrict all long-arm penalties to dangerous or overtly cynical play or repeated offences. The aim is to reduce the number of time-sapping, long-arm penalties per game by at least 30 per cent and preferably 50 per cent. For all other rule infringements give a short arm penalty (or free kick), subject to the conditions below.
Ten back, no advance, quick tap
For both long-arm penalties and free kicks, mandate that the defending (offending) team must immediately retreat ten metres and not advance or be involved in the play until the ball has crossed that ten-metre line, or another infringement or stoppage occurs (such as a knock-on the by the attacking team). The aim is to encourage greater use of the quick tap while providing space to set up an attack.
Tate McDermott scores a try. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Where a long-arm or short-arm infringement occurs ten metres or less from the goal line, the defending team must retreat with at least one of the defending players’ feet firmly planted behind the goal line and cannot advance until, if a quick tap is taken, the first pass is made by the attacking team.
In addition, where advantage is being played after a penalty, the offending player(s) shall be nominated by the referee on the run and required to retreat immediately twenty metres or behind the dead-ball line and not be involved in the play again, until another stoppage occurs (mini sin bin). This rule would aim to reward attacking teams and provide greater punishment for frustrating cynical play and repeated infringements on the defending goal line.
If a penalty advantage is given in the opposition 20 metres, and the offending player does not comply and involves themselves further in the play then a penalty try shall be immediately given and the player further sanctioned with a ten-minute yellow card sin bin or red card send off if the offence warrants this sanction. Double jeopardy would also apply. A player retreating behind the dead-ball line could still be subject to greater sanction when play stops.
For a short-arm penalty, the option to kick out on the full would have the normal rules apply as for a kick over the sideline in general play. The aim is to encourage a quick tap.
In addition give the attacking team, after a long-arm penalty is given, the option to take a line out on the line of the penalty, avoiding another kick the ball out time waster, particularly when a penalty is given close to the goal line when kicks are made in to touch with sometimes minimal or no metre gain simply to establish an attacking line out and a maul.
Also, allow a scrum option for a penalty to be set anywhere on the line of the penalty to encourage more set attacking play variety when a long-arm penalty is given.
These changes would address one of the key frustrations with rugby, the penalty. They would improve flow and encourage ball in hand, reduce stoppage time and promote set piece innovation. If we want the discussion to be about what happens on the field then we need to influence what happens there and not just hope that the popularity of the rugby game in Australia solely depends on a return to winning.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
I understand. Any change that benefits the whole game, not just Australia, is worth serious consideration. But we know how hard it can be to persuade the deep, deep north. :laughing: :laughing:
pm
Roar Rookie
Hi busted The changes I suggest don't retract from the core elements of rugby. There will still be power scrums, athletic lineouts and long arm penalties, just fewer of them. The change to restrict an offending team from advancing from ten metres is a simple addition to the requirement to withdraw ten metres now after a penalty or free kick. The suggested change to allow a team to call an attacking line out when awarded a penalty simply saves time from having to kick the ball out for no gain when close to opposition line. I suggest that trialling some of these in the local game or super rugby would bring back fans and lead to change internationally. Adopting a goal line drop out ion rugby was a bigger change than any I have suggested and seems to imply that League got it right. Lets not be defeatist and provide excuses for not moving forward P
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
The trouble with trying to make the game more attractive for Australians is that the rest of the world doesn’t need it to change. So any increase in local broadcast is lost by lack of international competitiveness.
Cam
Roar Rookie
I'd be ok with scrums (in both league and union) going the way of rule #23 form the original laws of rugby which stated. The Captains of sides, or any two deputed by them, shall be the sole arbiters of all disputes. Unsurprisingly, referees were introduced not long afterwards :laughing: I'd love to see the option for quick taps taken immediately on the mark. We played a season in 2008 or 2009 where the QRU introduced an experimental law where all long-arm penalties became short-arm and we adopted the super-quick tap restart. It was the most free-flowing football I ever saw played in my time, sped the game up and gassed the big lads, which lent itself to more space.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
:laughing:
piru
Roar Rookie
Should make them all sit in a circle on the ground, duck duck goose style
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
I honestly think the scrum has become an oddity in RL and serves no purpose at all True that the league scrum is largely unrelated to the rugby scrum, now. But it does serve a purpose of bunching up half the players and providing an attacking platform for back with room to move. The same can be said for the rugby scrum. But sadly we don't see that taken advantage of in Aus rugby, as much as we should.
piru
Roar Rookie
We tried this (and some other variations) with the Stellenbosch / ELVs and they had some success, the 'home nations' didn't like them. We did get the 5m offside line at scrums and the 'taken back' into the 22m rule though
Peter Doyle
Roar Rookie
Given that the laws of Rugby are generally internally consistent, it seems odd to me that a missed penalty or missed field goal where the ball goes dead will result in a dropout restart and the kicking team the generally regains possession. Why is that odd, because unlike a conversion attempt, a missed penalty goal or drop goal can result in play continuing unless the ball goes dead from the kick. Contrast that with a kick in general play going dead, the result is a scrum where the kick was taken. Make that the outcome of a missed penalty or drop goal and the attacking team may well reconsider taking either option if the odds are against success. A minor law change, it makes the laws more consistent and there may be less cynical penalty attempts or drop goal attempts.
Paul
Roar Rookie
Cam, I honestly think the scrum has become an oddity in RL and serves no purpose at all. They may as well have a straight forward change of posessions. Id actually like to see the scrum re-adopted in RL. I can still remember the Melbourne Storm winning scrums against the feed back in the day. I think you’re right though, they take far too long to pack down but I think it’s worth it so see the scrum battle.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
One problem. Rugby union is an international game. You think the other countries will sign on for these changes? Perhaps instead of changing the rules to suit, Aust rugby authorities develop their players better.
Cam
Roar Rookie
If we can learn anything from League, number one would be to drop the flankers from our code. It opens the field up with 4 less players, and allows the flyhalf more time at set-piece. And the benefit from a park footy perspective is there are two less players we have to find in a region where most prospective amateur players are being paid around $400 a week to play league. And the scrums, seriously, something has to give here at the pro level. From a personal perspective, I find zero entertainment in a match that incorporates up to 20 minutes of scrum, scrum reset, penalty, penalty goal, kick restart. League scrums have always been an inside joke with our union props, but depowering the scrum has in large part driven their code to record participation and profits.
Johnno
Roar Rookie
Give up on your dream mate. The codes garbage.